DHAKA // Amjad Javed, the UAE captain, said his side still believe they can create history for the country at the Asia Cup by beating a major Test playing nation for the first time.
They passed up a golden opportunity to do just that when they fell to a 14-run loss to Sri Lanka, after wilting against the brilliance of Lasith Malinga.
They will not have to wait long to get a second shot, as they will face the hosts at the National Stadium in Bangladesh’s capital Friday evening.
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It is likely to be a 25,000 sell-out, and Amjad insisted his side are more than capable of spoiling the party.
“Today was Sri Lanka. Tomorrow will be Bangladesh and it will be different – but this type of performance will give us confidence for that game,” Amjad said.
“When you are restricting a team like Sri Lanka to a score under 130, you want to win that game and create history for your country.
“It was a really good chance, but we have three more games and, definitely, we can cause an upset.
“They have played two games on TV now. There will be a big crowd supporting Bangladesh, but if you stick to your task, be positive, and just concentrate on the game, that will be good for the UAE.”
Amjad was the lead performer with the ball, taking three wickets as the Asia Cup holders were restricted to 129 for eight from their 20 overs.
The batsmen could not resist Malinga, though, as they collapsed to 16 for four, then ended 14 runs short of their target.
The captain said defeat was brought about by the class of Sri Lanka’s pace spearhead and that his batsmen should retain the confidence to try attacking strokes in future.
“The boys are selected because of their skills, and they have to play their shots if they want to make runs,” Amjad said.
“When you are playing against Malinga, definitely it is difficult. We have to play more games against them if we are going to get mature.”
Despite putting on a masterclass, both at the start and the finish of the innings in taking four for 26, it was not all good news for Malinga.
He limped to his post-match captaincy duties, as he is struggling to recuperate from his latest knee injury, and said he may be in the “last few months” of his career.
Malinga said he had only been operating at about “60 or 70 per cent” of his full capacity, and that “the team expect more than that from me”.
“UAE are a really good side. They have to be, because they qualified for the Asia Cup,” said Malinga, who made his limited-overs debut for Sri Lanka in an Asia Cup fixture against the UAE 12 years ago.
“We didn’t underestimate them.
“I’m not happy because I haven’t bowled for the past three months.
“I only had two days of practice, but I am very happy for the team that we got the win.”
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